Among tethered airborne elements for purposes of high altitude anemometry, remote sensing, wide area imaging and/or power generation, the launch and retrieval of such elements requires extensive human intervention. This is true for both aerostat and aerodyne, or the combination of aerostat and aerodyne systems. For example, in order to launch a kite, a human being needs to manually take or release the airborne element from its storage before it can be launched. Similarly, retrieving a kite requires human assistance. So does storing a kite into its housing.
Further, there are various factors such as weather conditions that can affect the operation of tethered airborne elements. The determination for retrieving these airborne elements is usually made by a human based on the reading of ground weather conditions or weather forecasts.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system which can automatically launch and retrieve a single-line tethered airborne element in a completely unattended manner. Further, another objective of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive way to monitor high altitude weather conditions without a tower. Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method that can launch or retrieve a tethered airborne element automatically when the weather condition in the proximity of the airborne element falls within a predefined range. No tethered airborne element should be left uncovered and exposed to inclement weather when it is not in use. It is therefore another objective of the present invention to provide a covered storage as part of the launching and recovery system. It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a system for stabilizing the airborne element during its launching and retrieval. It is further another objective of the present invention to provide a simple launch and recovery system for aerostat elements.